


No Place that Far

by Tabithian



Series: In Fashionable Time [1]
Category: Batman (Comics), DCU, DCU - Comicverse
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-16
Updated: 2012-09-16
Packaged: 2017-11-14 08:59:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/513527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tabithian/pseuds/Tabithian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You make a really fucking terrible decision one time, just once, and it comes back to bite you in the ass again and again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	No Place that Far

**Author's Note:**

> Written for soot-em-up who prompted: Batfam; AU where Jason was never Robin but ended up sort-of leader/motherhen of a bunch of street orphans, one of whom is Colin? :D?

You make a really fucking terrible decision one time, just once, and it comes back to bite you in the ass again and again.

“Look, it's great that you're out there,“ Jason waves a hand towards the rest of Gotham, police sirens in the distance because it's Gotham and shit like that never stops. “But back off, okay? We don't need your help.”

He knows the others, fucking idiots, are watching. Little faces pressed up against the slats boarding up the windows of the building he managed to claim for them. It's on the verge of collapsing, sure, but it's theirs. Four walls, even if they have a few holes in them, and a roof that only leaks when the weather gets really bad. (Home sweet home.)

He hears the scuff of a foot, and catches a flash of of color at the corner of his eye. Fucking Colin, kid never listens when he thinks Jason's doing something dumb. Big fucking heart and the kind of courage that's nothing but trouble because he's an idiot, and Jesus Christ, the kid's going to be the death of him one of these days.

Not that he blames Colin for poking his head out when the others are doing the smart thing and hiding. Mouthing off to the goddamned Batman isn't his brightest idea ever, and Jason knows it. He's not a complete idiot, but. The guy's bad news for people like them, people who are trying to stay under the radar.

If people like fucking Joker or the other nutcases like him find out Batman has been sniffing around, taking an interest? They're going to get curious, going to want to know _why_. They're going to want to know what makes them special, and worse, how they can use that against Batman.

Jason gets the whole Batman thing, okay? He does. Gotham's a fucking nightmare and good old Batman makes it less of one. But if there's one thing Jason knows for certain, it's that Batman has shown again and again that there's no way to stop bastards like Joker. (At least the way Batman works.)

He catches them, they go to Arkham. A little bit later they're back on the streets killing people like it's the best damn hobby anyone could have. And then the cycle starts all over again when he puts them back in Arkham, like it's a fucking game.

So yeah. Jason's going to tell Batman to leave them the hell alone if it'll keep his pack of brats a little safer.

Batman grunts, like he never learned to use his words.

“Batman.”

Jason looks up to the fire escape on one of the buildings where Robin is perched like an actual bird. This one's a girl, doesn't take any shit from anyone, or so he heard when she busted up a gang who thought she'd be an easy target. (Idiots. Everyone knows a Bat is never an easy target.)

She's number three, if the rumors are right, and. That makes him wonder where the guy gets his Robins, and what happened to the old ones. Makes him really fucking glad the guy let him go when Jason thought it would be a good idea to steal the wheels off the Batmobile. (Jesus, what the hell was he thinking?)

“Two-Face,” Robin says, expression tight.

Batman growls, looks at Jason. “This isn't over.”

Fucking really?

“Yeah, no. It is. You stay the hell away from us. We're not doing anything wrong.” Nothing Batman needs to worry about when he's got bastards like Two-Face and Joker to deal with anyway. They're small potatoes. Nobodies. (And that's just the way Jason wants it to stay.)

Batman glares at him, like he thinks Jason's going to back down. Which for the record? No fucking way.

“Ooh, I like him,” he hears Robin say. “Feisty.”

“Robin.”

She flashes a grin at Jason. “Come on boss. Work to do, lives to save, you know the routine. You can terrorize the street kids later, promise.”

“ _Robin_.”

Jason doesn't think he's ever heard Batman sound like that. Exasperated. Like he's human, and fuck off, it's the goddamned Batman, of course he's not human.

Like he can read Jason's mind, Batman looks back at him, all terror of the night make the criminals piss their pants in fear, before he raises his arm and shoots off a grapple.

“The Boss man likes you,” Robin says, grinning like she's not as crazy as her boss. “He's going to be keeping an eye on you.”

Fucking great.

Robin laughs and takes off after Batman, and Jason.

One fucking terrible decision, and this is what happens. You get the goddamned Batman on your case causing you grief because you're an idiot and fucking hell, what does he do now?


End file.
